| NEARBY | Wild bear in the Big Apple and close to it (6) |
| NYLON | Name, thought by some to derive from the combined names of the Big Apple and Square Mile, of a synthetic polymer; or, a sheer stocking made of this (5) |
| OJO | Young bear on "Bear in the Big Blue House" |
| OTTER | Pip or Pop, on Bear in the Big Blue House |
| PAPA | Bear in the big chair |
| BALLDROP | New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? |
| STUART | Author of novels Flesh House and Close to the Bone (6,8) |
| LOOMED | Made cloth or came close to it (6) |
| UPTOWN | Excited and close to time to utterly dominate dormitories |
| PUDDLE | Dessert extremely dull and close to collapse, just a pool of liquid (6) |
| ZEBRAS | Zoo opening with wild bears - the black and white ones that go around in bands (6) |
| BARBER | Brother traps wild bear, and he removes locks! (6) |
| SERBIA | Country in India surrounded by wild bears (6) |
| ALGEBRA | Gal trained wild bear in type of maths (7) |
| CABARET | Wild bear in an animal show (7) |
| SEABREAM | Fish has wild bear in stitches! |
| ABREAST | Wild bears in a forest at last, side by side |
| ABINITIO | From Roman beginnings, first characters get in close to it at Number 10 (2,6) |
| PRACTITIONER | At last, Renoir returns to parking taking in act close to it with doctor (12) |
| TRITE | Stock agent's close to it in the middle of Florence (5) |
